The City, Part six, fever

CHAPTER 18

When I wake up, it's bright outside. I have no idea what time it is, only that the sun has risen above the buildings. Blaze is gone. "Blaze..?" Where is he? Puff stirs, hearing my voice, and I pat his head. Why do I feel so.. sick? My chest burns like hellfire. The walker. Vividly, I try to remember the events of the past few days, but what did happen and what didn't blend together.

Blaze.. Did he really get bit..? Did all of that really happen? No.. he was ok. He has to be ok. Fuck. What happened last night? Puff stands up, shoving his head beneath my hand.

It was a dream.. last night didn't really happen. Now, it's the most prominent thing on my mind. I can remember every detail of it. What was that? Fuck. It was nothing. Just a dream. My parents' ghosts are probably watching me right now, disappointed. They probably saw my dream.

They'd be so annoyed.. I can feel warm tears slide down my cheek, and puff climbs up to lick them. No. I'm not gay. "I'm not." I tell Puff, even though he can't hear me. I tell the ghosts of my parents, even though they can't respond. I tell Blaze, even though he's not here. I tell them all, even if it's not true.

Puff lifts his head, his eyes above mine, and gives my nose a lick. I pat his ears, his fur soft. I'm so.. tired. I close my eyes, the lids are heavy, and I can't keep them open anymore. Just as I start to drift off, I hear something through the window. Hearing Blaze and Fern's voices, I don't bother looking.

"Yeah, it's definitely infected.." She sounds hesitant, her voice echoing from across the room, while Blaze sits down on my bed, resting his hand on mine. I want to open my eyes now. I want to see him, to make sure he's okay, but I can't. I'm too tired to move, and all I can do is listen to their chat.

"Blaze, be careful, he could be.. gone." What is Fern talking about? I'm not dead. Blaze's hand moves to my throat, pressing into my skin.

"His pulse is still there. It's pretty weak though.."

"Ok, that's a good sign. But it doesn't mean he's not infected. Sometimes, it takes a while, days even." I thought they already determined the wound was infected? But that's not what fern said. She said I was infected. She doesn't think I have the virus.. does she?

"Guys..?" With all the effort I have, I manage to speak and open my eyes. Fern stands, arms crossed, as far away from me as possible, trying to hide the evident fear on her face. Blaze is sitting, turned to me, and when he hears me, he grabs my hand, shifting his other up from my neck to cup my cheek.

"Rye? Hey, dude.." He tries to act nonchalant, but he shakes with worry. "You okay? Sorry I was gone for so long.. I got Fern, she's gonna fix you up, okay?" He's mumbling now, telling me I'm gonna be okay, promising me that I'll be better before I know it. He's close to tears, trying to hold them in, but I can still tell.

"Hey. Blaze." I hold his gaze, speaking as strongly as I can. "It's gonna be okay." He takes a second, letting out a shaky breath, and nods.

"Yeah. Okay." I can't think of anything more to tell him, so it's good that Fern breaks in, although she could've used better words.

"Guys, quit flirting, I need to look at your cut." She walks up to us, carrying her bag.

"We weren't-" She cuts off my attempt to debate by pulling my collar down, lighting my chest on fire. "Fuck! did you really have to do that?"

"I gotta see what I'm workin' with." She shrugs, pulling a rag and a bottle of alcohol out of her bag. She pours some of it onto my wound, making painful spots of light flash in my vision. By the time I come back to, she's already got out some sort of paste, with plant bits sticking out of it, as well as bundles of more plants, dried.

"Blaze, could you get some hot water? For tea?" Hesitantly, he gets up, sharing a look with fern before going into the kitchen. She scoops some of the paste onto her hand. "Stay still for a minute. This is gonna sting."

"As if it doesn't already." She smirks at my retort, applying the paste to my cut, and she was right. I know I'm going to black out just before it happens, as the spots in my vision explode, the darkness in their centers expanding, taking over all I can see, until a new pain comes to my face. "Hey!"

Fern looks at my face, and I can feel my cheek burning from where she slapped me. "What was that for?"

"You were falling asleep, and you need to take this medicine first." At some point, Blaze must have returned with the water, because now he's sitting on my bed again, staring at fern, gaping. She has a cup in her hand, and she dissects the bundles of herbs, crafting a recipe only she knows.

"Dude, you didn't have to do that!" Blaze glares at her, but she ignores him, stirring the tea. "Hey, you okay?" He scoots up to me, brushing my cheek with his thumb. Absent minded, I lean into his hand. It's warm, and surprisingly soft.

"I'm.. tired." I tell him, and the worry on his face deepens.

"You can go back to sleep in a minute, okay? You just have to take some medicine first." He tosses a glare towards Fern once again, who winks and sticks her tongue out in response. Then, he lies down, curling up next to me, unable to stop staring at the red mark on my cheek, or the red streaks from my chest.

After a moment, Fern holds the mug out towards us, and Blaze takes it. Gently, he puts it up to my mouth. Once again, it's warm, but not burning. The warmth spreads down my throat, into my chest, and the pain eases. Once I finish the mug, He sets it on the table, and Fern takes it to the kitchen, glancing back at us constantly.

Once she disappears into the kitchen, Blaze scoots closer. The tea may have given me a bit of warmth, but it's nothing compared to the feeling of Blaze pressed against me. And even lesser to the burning in what is now both of my cheeks. "Wow, she must've slapped you hard, huh? your cheek is still red.."

"Yeah.. the slap.." At least I have an excuse, maybe Fern's idea wasn't so bad. "Hey. Why's Fern acting so weirdly?" I turn to Blaze, suddenly realizing how close his face is to mine.

"She's just. worried about you." Blaze looks away, I can tell he's hiding something.

"She's not just worried. She's scared. She hasn't looked me in the eye once, and I heard her say something about me being infected. What aren't you telling me?" His eyes turn back towards mine, blue depths searching my brown, and the sadness on his face is almost unbearable.

"She.. She's worried that.. you're infected. She thinks that your chest is just.. the start. Of the virus." He can't hold in his tears anymore as he says this, and he tucks his face into my neck, trying to hide them.

"Hey. It's okay. I'm not going to turn. I'll be better before you know it, okay?" I try to assure him, as well as to hide my own tears, as I wrap my arm around him, tangling my fingers in his hair. "Blaze? You understand?"

"Yeah, I understand. Thanks.." He pushes his face deeper into my skin. He's warm. I'm so tired.. unusually tired. Suddenly, I can't keep my eyes open. The warmth from the tea turns into heat, choking me, smothering me. What was in it? What did Fern give me? My thoughts stray further and further from where I want them to be, wandering to other places.

Blaze.. Does he know about this..? Did he let Fern do this? Did he want Fern to do this? "Blaze.. What's wrong with me?" I muster all of my strength to ask him this, and to wait for his response.

"Shh.. go to sleep. You'll be okay, I promise." He's trying to sound calm, but I can hear the sadness dripping from his voice. No matter how much I struggle, how much I try to ask him what he did, my mind drifts off, my body feels heavy, and fall into the darkness.

CHAPTER 19

As Rye's breathing goes from staggered to steady, I lift my head, just in time to wipe my face before Fern walks in. "You drugged him?!" I saw her mix the valerian root into his tea. "You weren't supposed to do that. You were supposed to help him."

She looks at me, unfazed. "I did help him. I just helped us too. What're you going to do if he turns? What if you're distracted? Or busy? What if you can't do it at all?" How could she even talk about him like that?

"Don't say that. He's not going to.. turn. He's going to be okay, because you said you'd make him okay." She gives me a weary look, sighs, and sits down at the foot of the bed.

"I said I'd make him okay if I could. But you have to accept that he might not be.. helpable. I'm sorry, I hate it too, but I've done all that I can do for him. At this point, it's up to him, and whether or not the zombie infected him."

"Okay.." I hate it. I don't want to accept it. I want to fight. But she has a solid point, one that I can't argue with. I turn back to him, sleeping, so peaceful for how scared he was. He was terrified. I can't think of what we just put him through right now. It's only four o'clock, but I'm drained.

"I need to get back, before it starts getting dark." She hands me the tub of paste, as well as more dried herbs. "Put this on the wound every few hours, and make his tea with these."

"Okay." I nod, and she takes that as her signal, standing and backing out of the window. "Hey, Blaze? Let me know that he's alright, would ya?" Before I can respond, she slides down the ladder, leaving my view.

I turn to Rye again, lying back down next to him. "I'm sorry.." I whisper. Tears are coming back to my eyes "I'm so sorry.. Please just be okay.."

CHAPTER 20

It's dark out. I open my eyes, seeing Blaze next to me, sleeping. It's dawn, colours beginning to mix into the blue outside, before seeping into the window. Blaze. He's curled up next to me, fitfully sleeping. Did he really drug me? Why? Why would he do that to me?

"Blaze." My voice is stronger than I expected, and I manage to wake him up.

"Rye..? Hey! how're you feeling?" He tries to press up to me, but I push him back.

"What the hell was that?! You drugged me! Get away from me!" His face drops as I yell at him, searching for words to explain his actions, but in my mind, there are none.

"Rye.. Please.. I'm sorry. Fern didn't tell me she was going to do that, and I only realized once I saw it in your tea.. I'm sorry, Rye, please.." He's practically begging me for forgiveness, and I almost want to give it to him, but I can't.

"No. You saw, and you still gave me the tea. Why would you do that?" My voice cracks, and I can feel the tears sliding down my face, but I don't try to stop them.

"Hey.. I'm sorry. Fern thought that it might be.. safer for you to be fully asleep for a little bit. But you're looking a lot better now! I knew she was wrong-"

"Stop!" I'm not listening to his fucking excuses anymore. "Just.. stop. I'm too tired for this, and I don't wanna hear it. We can talk about it later." Now, I realize that he's crying too, and he nods as I say this.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Do you want me to go..?" I can barely look at him right now.

"Yes. I think that might be best." I hate this. I hate it so much. I want him here, I want to hug him, I want him to hold me, and help me process my emotions, but he's the one who caused them, and I can't be near him right now.

I roll over, covering my head with the blanket, trying to sleep, but the blanket smells like Blaze. And I still have his warmth on me. And I can hear him breathing, and crying. And I miss him, even though I hate him.

CHAPTER 21

I can't sleep. I can hear Rye tossing and turning in his bed, and his shuddery breaths as he tries to cry quietly. I want to say something, to hug him and tell him that I'm sorry, but he doesn't want that. Fuck, he probably hates me.

I should never have let that slide. I can't believe I basically drugged him! It sounded like at least a decent idea when Fern talked about it, but I have no clue what I was thinking now. And now, he's hurt, and he's crying, and it's my fault.

He's for sure never going to trust me again. He probably wants me to leave the whole city.

Does he..? I glance down from my top bunk, towards him, and see him curled up in his blanket, shaking. Fuck. I fucked up. I look at the window, just past the foot of his bed. It's getting lighter outside, it'll be daytime soon.

I listen to Rye's breathing, going from shaky to even, as he falls asleep. By the time he does, it's much lighter outside, the ending stage of dawn. He probably wants me to go.. Cautiously, as to not wake him, I get up, climbing down the ladder.

Outside the window, the city looks.. beautiful. I lean on the edge, looking down towards the streets. They're almost serene, empty. I need to go do something. I start my descent down the stairs, casting one last glance at Rye. Fuck, I hope he forgives me.

The forest is even nicer than the city. Since humanity's demise, wildlife has come back, and 10 times harder. Just now, I can see a family of deer. They tilt their heads at me, wondering what strange creature I am.

The ground is soft under my feet. The trees crowd over my head, and I continue walking until they collide, into one large gate, with makeshift walls on each side.

"Who goes?" A voice shouts down at me from the trees.

"It's Blaze! Just coming for a visit!" After hearing this, he waits a moment, probably getting confirmation from a superior. Then, the gates open.

"You may come in!" I nod to the man, now visible. The tree dwellers have always been a cautious group, but good people nonetheless. Their leader, Sorrel, waits for me under the Central Tree.

"Blaze! what brings ya here?" She smiles at me, but I can see her eyes, curious and searching for deeper meaning.

"Oh, just sayin' hi! How's Enzo been?" Sorrel's son, Enzo, was one of the first that I know of born after the apocalypse started. He's never seen how life was before, but understands the loss anyhow, as best an eight year old can.

"He's doing great, just learned how to skin a deer!" I try to hide my grimace as best as I can. Sure, it's the apocalypse, and times are hard, but being a kid, digging around in an animal's guts, just sounds.. horrible.

"That's.. great!" She senses my hesitation, but doesn't comment on it.

"How've you and Rye been?" Rye. My face drops a little. Fuck, Sorrel can't see me cry.

"We've been.. okay. He got injured a few days ago.. but he's healing fast." Her face turns to concern, and she walks over to me, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry.. Do ya'll need anything? We've got supplies to share, and Moss can take a look at him if ya need.." Moss, her husband, is the doctor of the Tree Dwellers.

"No, we're alright, thank you. Fern already helped him.." The Tree Dwellers and Fern have.. differences, and Sorrel's face drops at the mention of her name.

"Oh.. well, not to say Fern isn't.. trying, in her practice, but Moss might be a little more.. experienced?" She doesn't do very well at hiding her disdain.

"Well, she's done pretty well for us-" Before I can debate, a loud crashing noise comes from the gate. It bangs open, a hoard of walkers pushing through, clawing at the people inside.

"Fuck!" Sorrel runs towards the chaos, pulling out her weapon on her way. Suddenly, they break through, and they're everywhere. People are running, screaming, searching for their loved ones, or running from them.

Fuck. What do I do? I need to run, but I have to help. I have no time to make my decision. A walker pounces at me, pushing me to the ground. Its jaws reach for me, and I'm saved only by a loose root that I use to block it.

"Shit!" Where did all these zombies come from? Pushing as hard as I can, I manage to throw the zombie off, turning the root and using it to impale it. A loud crunch seems to echo around the clearing, despite all the other noise, and the root goes through its stomach, and then to the ground, pinning the walker.

It struggles, clawing at the root and its bleeding gash, and lets out a raspy growl. While I still can, I take my spear out of its sheathe, finishing the zombie off. There's at least twenty in the clearing, overpowering the Tree dwellers. I run towards the nearest one, cornering a guy.

Blood splatters across his face as I take care of the zombie. "Oof, sorry.." He nods at me, ducking away. There may be many zombies, but looking around, the Tree Dwellers are winning. Bodies scatter the ground, both of the dead and the undead, but the walkers are dying out.

Just as I think that we might have beaten them, the smell of smoke fills the air. Looking up, one of the treehouses, the shelter preferred by them, has caught fire. What the hell? Even worse, I can see, through the window, a man, terrified. The branch that the house rests on cracks, the sound of splintering filling my head.

The house is at least a hundred feet up, and he has no hope of jumping, or falling. The Tree Dwellers build their houses with thatch, which, while being easy to harvest, burns easily, and the house is already being devoured by the flame, huge and wild. Fuck.

There has to be something I can do to help him. Looking around, there's a pile of straw sitting near the base of the tree. I run towards it, scooping as much as I can into my arms, piling it under the house. Once I get a big pile, I crane my neck up, towards him.

"You need to jump! This straw will catch you!" He looks terrified as I yell up to him, but knows it's his only option. He climbs out of the window, hanging on to the rim, closes his eyes, and falls.

He lands in the pile of straw. "Hey! you okay?" He looks up at me, fear, thrill, and adrenaline on his face.

"Yeah, thanks! Listen though, something happened." He looks around, as if he's paranoid that someone is listening. "I saw someone lead the walkers to the gate and open it! I couldn't see very well, but it was definitely on purpose. He lit the house on fire too. It was-"

Just before he's able to tell me, a chunk of burning wood falls from the sky, hitting him on the head. He screams, collapsing, and dies. What the hell was that? We're far enough from the hut that none of the debris should've fallen here. Unless.. I look up, seeing a figure, clinging to the trunk of the tree above us, but it disappears before I can react. Fuck!

The fire is dying down, and the Tree dwellers have managed to get rid of the hoard and close the gate. Turning, I see someone running towards me.

"Blaze! Fuck! Are you okay?" Rye jumps on me, hugging me. "Fern told me she saw you heading here, and that she saw smoke.. Are you okay?"

"Rye? What're you doing here? You should be resting!" I glare at Fern, standing a few meters away, watching. "Yeah, I'm ok. What about you? How'd you get all the way out here?"

"I ran, duh." He smiles at me, and for a moment, everything seems okay. But it's not. That man died, and someone killed him. Someone lit that house on fire, and let all those walkers in. Someone tried to end the camp of Tree Dwellers, and we need to figure out who.

"Rye." I look him in the eye, and his face changes, seeing my expression. "I need to tell you something."